AI Vertical Agent prototyping
AI / PROTOTYPING
Apple SalesBot
AI / USER EXPERIENCE
AI agent prototype for the Apple Store using GPT4o and trained on publicly available data.
✅ Saves on browsing, direct response
✅ Minimized user effort
✅ Negates product choice paralysis
✅ Personalised consumer experience
✅ Voice input accessible
Try it out here. 🤖
https://lnkd.in/eq97V7du
✅ Minimized user effort
✅ Negates product choice paralysis
✅ Personalised consumer experience
✅ Voice input accessible
Try it out here. 🤖
https://lnkd.in/eq97V7du
Less meeting, more working
PRODUCTIVITY / TOOLS
83% of employees spend up to 33% of their week in meetings.
Source: https://www.notta.ai/en/blog/meeting-statistics
Too many in-person team meetings (and Agile ceremonies) can lead to squad attrition. One technique I have seen successful is to use MS Teams little-known 'looped component' inside of any group thread/channel.
Source: https://www.notta.ai/en/blog/meeting-statistics
Too many in-person team meetings (and Agile ceremonies) can lead to squad attrition. One technique I have seen successful is to use MS Teams little-known 'looped component' inside of any group thread/channel.
Essentially it's one single chat bubble that everyone remotely inputs on, syncs in real-time and has handy templates (Retro, Agenda, Poll, etc..). I've used this for silent standups before and the feedback was that it's a less stressful way to start the working day - and also more conducive to achieving deep work.
Boost productivity and team health with synced chats in MS Teams
I'm not against in-person virtual standups or any other type of meeting, but so often they are poorly facilitated and descend into granular details or venting, and that causes meeting overruns and disengagement. (on av. 92% of workers spend time multitasking during meetings)
If the team need to vent quite a lot, then that's a sign of an under-supported and/or overallocated team. People need uninterrupted chunks of time to do the work.
Looped components are available on all MS Teams plans, both in-browser and desktop apps.
If the team need to vent quite a lot, then that's a sign of an under-supported and/or overallocated team. People need uninterrupted chunks of time to do the work.
Looped components are available on all MS Teams plans, both in-browser and desktop apps.
Netflix VUI prompting
AI / USER EXPERIENCE
What if you could use AI to find something to watch on Netflix in much the same way you chat about what to watch (or not) with a friend?
Using voice input detailing context and content-based prompt blocks searching for something to watch could be more direct, accessible, with less effort and be more human-like.
Why be constrained by linear/keyword search methods (Title, Genre, Actor, etc) when a richer query could provide a more nuanced context? Here's a prototype (with a touch of humour).
Using voice input detailing context and content-based prompt blocks searching for something to watch could be more direct, accessible, with less effort and be more human-like.
Why be constrained by linear/keyword search methods (Title, Genre, Actor, etc) when a richer query could provide a more nuanced context? Here's a prototype (with a touch of humour).
I've nothing against Ryan Reynolds
Structured prompt anatomy
Most people won't care about the prompt structure, they just want to find something worth watching as fast as possible to avoid Netflix-browsing-fatigue.
But given that users on average will spend about 60 - 90 seconds or browse 10 - 20 titles and then give up, wouldn't a more efficient way of finding something to watch lead to more user satisfaction and positive DAU and MAU metrics?
Here's the anatomy of that prompt.
Most people won't care about the prompt structure, they just want to find something worth watching as fast as possible to avoid Netflix-browsing-fatigue.
But given that users on average will spend about 60 - 90 seconds or browse 10 - 20 titles and then give up, wouldn't a more efficient way of finding something to watch lead to more user satisfaction and positive DAU and MAU metrics?
Here's the anatomy of that prompt.
Salesforce certification (DXP)
PLATFORM / SKILLS
Salesforce is huge and ever-evolving but I have had some brushes with it. I describe it to clients as a "sleeping giant".
It's powerful but also problematic in that it's so generic out of the box that it won't match anyone's workflow - until you tweak it.
Tweaking doesn't have to mean customisation, a lot can still be achieved with configuration backed by a solid UX approach.
Expanding my UX and technical skillsets
SDLS onboarding
DESIGN SYSTEM / UX
Concept with a focus on enhanced onboarding for designers to the SDLS Figma Pattern Builder kit. The components are well architected but maybe a bit more onboarding makes for a increased engagement and adoption?
Here's an onboarding comp created using assets from the current SDLS design system that invites designers to start engaging with the various components and patterns.
Here's an onboarding comp created using assets from the current SDLS design system that invites designers to start engaging with the various components and patterns.
Salesforce SLDS Figma kit for Patten Builder with enhanced onboarding UX
Zoom meetings, that sudden timeout
PRODUCTIVITY / UX
If you are on the Basic plan on a free account, 40 minutes is the maximum duration your meetings can last, before zoom cuts you off - instantly.
UX problem
There is no warning/primer that the meeting is ending soon - it just shuts the meeting down for everyone! It's a jarring experience and embarrassing for any participant who might be mid-sentence when it ends so abruptly.
An opportunity
Why not use the moment to inform the organiser of how much time is left, then give a few tips on how to close-out a meeting in a productive way (see comp below).
Could a meeting organiser be more likely to upgrade once given a less abrupt timeout? Worth testing.
UX problem
There is no warning/primer that the meeting is ending soon - it just shuts the meeting down for everyone! It's a jarring experience and embarrassing for any participant who might be mid-sentence when it ends so abruptly.
An opportunity
Why not use the moment to inform the organiser of how much time is left, then give a few tips on how to close-out a meeting in a productive way (see comp below).
Could a meeting organiser be more likely to upgrade once given a less abrupt timeout? Worth testing.
Zoom freemium has a strict 40 minute limit, which is fine - but it feels very abrupt when there is no warning
Nationwide banking app
PRODUCT / UX
Nationwide might have updated their brand identity but the customer app is lagging behind. It's very legacy-feeling, and that can't be good.
The UX needs to echo the brand promise and offer loads more utility, so here is a prototype with modern consumer expectancies being met.
👉 Alias account names, so they become more meaningful
👉 Define and differentiate between current and savings products
👉 Presentment-based (single) balances not settlement-based dual balances
👉 Track and visualise my spending habits
👉 Offer help, before it's explicitly requested (scroll-revealed links)
A modern banking app experience, learning from the neo-bank disruptors
Current UX issues
👇
⚡ Two balances, and the not-real-to-me one is given the hierarchy
⚡ Meaningless internal product names
⚡ Can't rename accounts
⚡ No meta information (Credit v Saving products)
⚡ Bad use of red highlight (see the Select Credit Card) - "Am I overdrawn?"
⚡ No spending habits data/visualisation
⚡ Legacy branding
👇
⚡ Two balances, and the not-real-to-me one is given the hierarchy
⚡ Meaningless internal product names
⚡ Can't rename accounts
⚡ No meta information (Credit v Saving products)
⚡ Bad use of red highlight (see the Select Credit Card) - "Am I overdrawn?"
⚡ No spending habits data/visualisation
⚡ Legacy branding
These issues are actually opportunities and by no means just a Nationwide thing. The same issues can be found in several other traditional bank apps.
If there are already core UX issues, they get way worse for users with cognitive challenges
Wonder if there was a gap in the user testing or feature prioritisation? Because if you'd asked users to rank features by importance/desirability (via card sorting) then I think some of these issues might have been caught.
A safer method to prioritising features is to get users to indicate what's a product-market-fit for themselves, via user testing.
A safer method to prioritising features is to get users to indicate what's a product-market-fit for themselves, via user testing.
Building tables in Figma
DESIGN SYSTEM / UX
Table components can drive you nuts if not created with consideration for both the end-user and other designers in mind.
Here's what I've learned and grab the component directly from the Figma file if you want to use or remix it.
Column based
💠 Design with both column headers and data cells, for vertical alignment
💠 Columns need to be in an auto-layout for easy column order switching
💠 Design with both column headers and data cells, for vertical alignment
💠 Columns need to be in an auto-layout for easy column order switching
If you can't switch around the columns order, things could get rough
Scalable data
💠 Make sure cells can handle variable content, wrap using autolayout (AL = Hug)
💠 Randomize sample data or the table won't feel real
💠 Make sure cells can handle variable content, wrap using autolayout (AL = Hug)
💠 Randomize sample data or the table won't feel real
Cell data volume can be variable, make sure your cells can handle it gracefully
Good practices
💠 Keep column submenus ranged left, for longer label handling
💠 Truncate from the middle-out when dealing with long cell strings/text data
💠 Vertically align the cell contents to the top, keeps alignment when wrapping
💠 Let the cells breathe, don't stint on whitespace
💠 Name the column headers as 'TH' and cells as 'TD', for smoother dev handover
💠 Keep column submenus ranged left, for longer label handling
💠 Truncate from the middle-out when dealing with long cell strings/text data
💠 Vertically align the cell contents to the top, keeps alignment when wrapping
💠 Let the cells breathe, don't stint on whitespace
💠 Name the column headers as 'TH' and cells as 'TD', for smoother dev handover
TH (Table Header) and TD (Table Data) mightn't feel intuitive but they get used a lot in development
Primitive variables in Figma
DESIGN SYSTEM / UX
Two simple colour variables to toggle between light and dark modes - without duplicating frames or tweaking any design elements.
💠 Less frames to manage
💠 Scalable, upfront work pays off when there's hundreds of frames to manage
💠 UI consistency
💠 Mirrors development theming techniques
💠 Scalable, upfront work pays off when there's hundreds of frames to manage
💠 UI consistency
💠 Mirrors development theming techniques
Using colour variables in Figma to toggle between light v dark UI styles